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Tuesday, 24 June 2014

The Smiling Assassin (Horror Bites)

Grace nods. She is
used to the drill, though this is the first time she has been involved in the
Smiling Assassin’s case, save for the paper trail. She has seen enough to disturb her sleep occasionally,
thankful some of the photographs were black and white, not full colour. “Has she been prepped? She knows why I’m here?”

“Room One?” Grace asks, moving towards the double doors at
the ward entrance. Des nods again. She has her ID in her right hand already to
display to Security stationed outside the door to the single room in which the
vic is waiting. She flashes it at them,
having to pause as they look more closely; precautionary. Grace stops, holding it out properly, colour
photo clearly on show. “Media?” she
says.

The guard nods briefly.
“Vultures. After pictures,
obviously.” They exchange a loaded
glance. “You’re fine. She’s expecting you. Remember to cleanse way in, way out.” Grace is already heading towards the hand gel
dispenser, gesturing to Des to follow.
“Good luck,” the guard says.
“Hope you get him after what he’s done.”

“We do too,” Des says, before Grace turns the handle and
they are into Room One where Hannah Drew is waiting. She looks up, eyes wide, as they enter,
though they have been expected for perhaps quarter of an hour now. Traffic was bad on the way in.

“Hello, Hannah,” Grace says quietly. The girl’s throat works, swallowing perhaps
or seeking to speak. “I’m Grace. I’m here to talk to you; to see if we can
help you. Try to find the man who did
this to you. D’you want to nod if that’s
okay? If you think you’re ready to try
and help us?”

Hannah nods vigorously, though her eyes are blurry with
unshed tears.

“I need you to hold your hand up if this is too much for you
at any point and you want to stop.
You’ll do that, won’t you?” The
girl nods again, brushing a hand across one eye.

“I’m going to give you some paper and a pen, if that’s all
right. I need you to tell me if you knew
him – if you can give us a name.” Grace
holds her breath. The girl had been
unconscious on arrival, no chance of any interview; too traumatised
afterwards. Small wonder.

Hannah nods again, more strongly than before. Her lips open wide without volition and Grace
sees for herself the havoc the Smiling Assassin wreaks on his victims. Hannah’s gums have few teeth embedded in
them. She cannot see a tongue in the
shadows of her mouth. Incantation kept
her alive through the process. The rest
was makeshift dentistry by a madman.
“Tell us,” Grace says. She
watches as Hannah begins to shape the letters, as they lengthen into all too
familiar forms.

Comment

My take on a horror piece involving a dentist's chair. Think I took this off on a slight slant, once again!